Life is precious

It's amazing how quickly priorities can change. One minute making money and getting A's on tests are of utmost importance. The next minute they don't even matter when you find out a loved one is gravely ill. Your mind races, you feel guilty for trying to figure out how to take that exam and still travel to see them 'in time', you start to worry about money for the trip, but realize money is useless in getting back lost time. You realize just how precious life truly is. I am so thankful that Lon and I were able to go to MI and spend Thanksgiving with some of the most amazing people I know, my in-laws. Never in my life have I gotten so many hugs in such a short period of time! :) I am also grateful that we (thanks to my wonderful family) will be able to visit again before Christmas. Time, life and loved ones are so very precious. I hope you are surrounded by those you care for this holiday season. Appreciate every minute you have. The expression, 'Don't sweat the small stuff...it's all small stuff' is a truer statement than I ever thought. Grudges, petty frustrations, people who get on your nerves...wastes of time. Your time and energy are so much more important than that...spend it making good memories for the dark days that always seem to rear their ugly heads when you least expect them.
Hope you have a beautiful, happy holiday season filled with laughter, smiles, hugs and kisses surrounded by your favorite people. That's my plan.

Shiraz is fermenting!

'Nuf said. :)

Busy, busy...

We have had our Shiraz juice here for over a week (or has it been two already?) and haven't had a chance to mix it and get it fermenting! Either I've had class, clinical or work...or Lon has had class or interning opportunities. We are both enjoying our 'busyness,' but we want this red for the cooler weather! He's at a workshop all day today, so I guess if I want this done I'll sanitize all the equipment today and have it ready for mixing tonight when he gets home. I worked yesterday and I work tomorrow...and with class every Mon, Wed and Thurs it doesn't leave a lot of spare time. Of course, we have also been scoping out rental and for sale homes...our lease is up in Feb and we would LOVE to have a free-standing home. So sick of apts! Our new neighbors are fine, but after having several months of no one below us, the 'walking on eggshells' feeling sucks. Not trying to piss them off...I know these walls are like paper, but would like not to have to worry about movies, video games, etc...
Just watched X-Men Wolverine and LOVED it! Would have liked not to have been worried about the surround sound, though. Hugh is a hottie and I love the X-men series...I'm a sci-fi nerd and proud of it! :)
School is going very well thus far...A's on all three tests! Have my 4th test on 11/23 and the final on 12/16...then off for a month til the Spring semester. Guess I'll be working my bootie off those 4 weeks.
I have a lot to do on my day off...it's about 65 F outside, sunny and gorgeous! I would love to enjoy it, but I have some assignments that might be nice to get done and out of the way...not to mention the sanitizing thing, straightening the house, blogging (that's almost done!), and whatever else distracts me today.
Guess that's about it for now...Fall is absolutely beautiful here in Eastern TN. Think we'll be here for a while. We really love our town. First time we've felt truly at home somewhere...and just an FYI, we are more than happy to show off our fave city to anyone who wants to visit. Hopefully we can find a cool little rental house and actually have a place for potential guests to stay! :)
Hope you're enjoying some refreshing fall weather where you are!

Our first review...

Well, the wine has been made, bottled and labeled...and now it has received it's first review.
"This wine is great!" --Josh O.
Thanks, Josh! We think its pretty tasty, too...I have attached a pic of our label (Great job, Lon!) and the here's the verbage on the back:
'We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.'

In our Late Harvest Riesling you will find notes of honey, apple and apricot dominate the aroma and taste, right through the long, rich finish. Displays much of the complexity of an Ice Wine, but with less sweetness.

Lon and Rachel Jordan created this late harvest Riesling with love for each other and their country. Their hope is for all Americans and citizens of the world to have the opportunity to experience freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Of course I played with the fonts, but blogger.com won't support them. Eventually maybe I'll get a pic of the actual bottle on here...Other than that, we recently attended The Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival at Ross' Landing on the TN River. This is an annual free concert right on the water held in early October. It was fantastic! The first Sunday of every month is the Hunter Museum of Art's free Sunday. We attended that as well, checking out the new exhibit from NYC and some live music on the plaza. Fall is definitely here and we are welcoming it with open arms (and open windows and doors!) Right now it is overcast and 61 degrees. We've been getting quite a bit of rain the last week or so, but the fall colors are just starting to peek through the green. Out of my window right now I see pinks, reds, pale oranges and some light yellows. And still a lot of green, too.

I made an A!

First test in Nursing 1: Done...I made an A! Woo-Hoo! Ahhh...glad that's over. Next one is in three weeks. Working on my diversity project right now. Having to find out facts about three world religions (Islam, Lutheran and Oriental (Eastern) Orthodoxy). Be glad when I'm finished. Not that I'm not finding out some interesting things, just gets kind of boring digging through the sites to find the little tidbits of info I need. I'm more of a science and math kind of girl. Not religion and history. In two weeks we'll all get together and compare notes. The religious groups we're studying include Roman Catholic, Hinduism, Conservative Judaism, Southern Baptist Convention, Buddhism, Russian Orthodox Christianity, Seventh Day Adventists, Orthodox Judaism, Shinto, Mormon, Presbyterian (USA), Baha'i and my three. Should be quite entertaining...
Today is the first day of fall...I'm ready for it! Doesn't really feel like it, though. Today is pretty humid (it's been raining for about a week now) and it's about 80 degrees. Not hot, but muggy. Should be a fun (sticky) walk this afternoon.
Guess that's all for now...Happy 1st Day of Fall!

Success!

Sweet Freedom wasn't due to be uncorked until September 30th...but we tried a bottle one month into aging (not so great) and another one earlier this evening. It's 10 days before the big 'uncorking,' but curiosity got the best of me and I popped another one open. Success! It's tasty! We are so excited our first batch of wine doesn't suck! Especially after the funky 'young' taste it had less than two months ago...we were going to be really upset if 30 potentially drinkable bottles of wine were all for naught. But patience apparently IS a virtue and aging works wonders! Looking forward to trying a 6-month bottle and a 1 year bottle...supposedly just keeps getting better. Of course, most wines should be consumed within a few years of bottling. Only the really 'special' ones can be aged for decades. Otherwise they turn to vinegar. Then I guess they are good for cooking. I myself would rather drink them while cooking. :) So, next time you're in the vicinity or I'm in yours, we'll have to have a little tasting.
On the school front...things are going well. Working WAY less than expected, but probably another blessing in disguise. My first exam is Monday...looking forward to it, but a little anxious at the same time. Actually set my alarm for 0530 this morning to start my last leg of studying. Planning on a 0600 am wake up call tomorrow to finish it off. I can get a lot more done when I'm not tempted by MI winning football games (Go Blue!!!!) and wanting to hang out with Lon. Those are my favorite times...that's why studying is better when he's asleep and there's nothing good on TV. ha, ha, ha! Did schedule in some breaks from the books to have breakfast (break with Lon), have lunch (check out game...we won!), went for a walk (between storms) and then took the evening off for relaxing and dinner. Tomorrow has its own schedule too...kinda have to do that. Makes the sitting down with books and a computer more doable...knowing something fun is coming up shortly.
Guess that's enough for now...time for bed.
Today's Thought:
In seeking wisdom thou art wise; in imagining that thou hast attained it - thou art a fool.
Lord Chesterfield (Guess I'll be learning something until I'm dead. I'm good with that.)

Funny thing happened on the way to Wal-Mart...

...we ended up 140 miles SE of Chattanooga in a little town called Helen. Helen, GA. Alpine Helen to be exact. Did you know there was a German/Bavarian-themed city in the mountains of Northern GA??? Neither did we until a week or so ago. Got up Tuesday morning, loaded the recycling, planned to go grocery shopping, ended up in a little town 3 hours away over two mountains in another state. Lon is so proud of me for becoming more spontaneous. I'd say this was pretty spontaneous! Especially since, after having a great time and not quite ready to leave, we found a cheap hotel room (on the Chattahoochee River no less!) and stayed the night. No toothbrushes, no change of clothes, no deodorant! Luckily for us the weather was pleasant, almost fall-like. Driving over the mountain the temp got down to 69 degrees and in town it was in the 70's with a nice breeze. Had some yummy German beers, some brat/knock/bierwurst & cheeses and enjoyed the cute little town. Lon wouldn't let me buy him any lederhosen, but was all for me getting one of the cute little St. Pauli girl dresses! Most of the town was closed (off-season) but they were getting ready for the Annual GA H.O.G. Rally that was headed into town today. They also have one of the longest Oktoberfestivals in the nation...lasting from 9/11-11/2 this year. Guess they do a full on Christmas thing, too. Got to have some way to pull the tourists in...this place is definitely OFF the beaten path. Beautiful drive, though...can totally see why the bikers love it so. It's smack dab in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest...winding mountain roads, waterfalls, gorgeous vistas, all with a little taste of Germany. They also have a year-round haunted house...Haunted Helen. Very creepy, even in the daytime. Especially the Headless Horseman...see the hazy image...why would that be hazy when the others were all clear? Had fun, met some friendly & some not-so-friendly people, but maybe the economy has got them down, too. Wouldn't imagine they've had a banner year. If interested, check out www.helenga.org.
Instead of coming home on Wed, Lon decided it might be fun to check out Little Five Points in Atlanta...give the big city another try. Well, we found it and we still don't like it ('It' being Atlanta...Little Five Points wasn't bad). Found a cool incense burner and had some yummy food, but the overcrowded, big city thing...WAY overrated! Guess we've always been small(er) town folk at heart. Good to be home...
Here's some more fun pics from our impromptu getaway:

Trippy...

To go along with the new mushroom painting I'm working on, I spruced up my blog with some 3D effects...or at least in my eyes. Do you see words floating on here? I know I did...guess it was my color choices. I'll leave it like this til I get a headache or get inspired to change it. This funky pic is one of the many cool Jellies at the TN Aquarium...a Moon Jelly, I believe. Just thought I'd throw him in for fun...he's trippy too, right?
Less than two weeks til school starts...getting a little nervous and a lot excited. Ready to have my RN and be well on my to traveling...but good things come to those who wait, so I guess I'll have to wait, too.
Until then, give peace a chance, yo. :)

8th Grade Reunion

Yes, I said 8th grade...not high school. And what a good time it was! A group of about 25 of us were all in the same class from 5th-8th grade at William J. Christian Elementary School in Birmingham. After that we went to a variety of different high schools. Some of us kept in touch, a lot of us didn't. Thanks to the ever-popular Facebook, we decided to plan a reunion. Saturday, August 15th we got together at Black Market Bar in Birmingham. George, one of the FB-er's, owns it. There were yummy drinks, delish eats, horrible/funny/embarrassing/silly photos from way-back-when, old yearbooks and LOTS of catching up and reminiscing. It was a fantastic night! I care nothing about going to a high school reunion, but this I would do again and again...great time. So good to see everyone and couldn't believe they ALL look just the same as when we left 8AC 22 years ago (well...not the same, better hair and fashion choices last night than 8th grade)! Some people have 5 kids, some have none; some are married, some are looking; all were great to see. A few of us ventured over to George's other bar (Speakeasy) in downtown B'ham. More fun, more drinks, more picture taking. Felt like a regular youngster staying out til 3 am...haven't done that in a LONG time. Gonna sleep good tonight, but so glad I went. The pic at the beginning is our homage to Charlie's Angels...5th-8th grade the three of us (Jennifer, Christy and me) were pretty much inseparable! Here's some more pics from the evening's festivities...

Almost time

Well, Micro is over (I made an A!) and Nursing I starts in 3 short weeks. Still working full time hours at the hospital, but that will slow down a bit once classes start. I've bought all my books and supplies...guess I'm ready as I'll ever be! One really nice thing, though...looking through the syllabus for the 1st semester...the skill set: it's a lot of what I do now at work. Vital signs, ht/wt, I&O (input and output), pain scale, hand hygiene, EKG's, catheters...all good. The 'Remove fecal impaction digitally'...well, not really looking forward to that lab! But I guess taking care of patients means taking care of patients...whatever their needs, right? :) We've had a pretty quiet summer...work, school, work, school. Mary Beth got married last weekend...beautiful ceremony at Dad's house. Might be going to my 8th grade 'reunion' next weekend! ha, ha, ha...the lot of us were in 5th-8th grade together and now most of us are on Facebook. That should be entertaining.

Sweet Freedom has been bottled!

Finished and corked (didn't realize the pic was that blurry!)


Finished bottling...onto the next step.


This is the carboy that our wine has been aging in the last few weeks.


The first few bottles...looks yummy!


Here are our beautiful, empty, clean bottles just waiting to be filled with Sweet Freedom..


If only...but we did manage to bottle our late harvest Riesling which we named Sweet Freedom. Got a few pics during the process...was lots of fun and we look forward to our next batch. We're thinking Australian Shiraz, but haven't decided yet. School is fine, only 4 more weeks. Work is keeping me busy. I worked Monday and I work today, tomorrow and Sat. Whew! It's early and I need to get ready for work, but wanted to post about Sweet Freedom for my 2-3 followers! Hope you all had a wonderful 4th!

Wine Update

Just read back over previous posts and realized I never posted that we are making some REAL wine! The 'homemade wine' I spoke about back in May was literally 100% real fruit juice and wine yeast...some little quickie version we found on the internet and decided we had to try it (only cost $4 total)! Drinkable, not the worst we've had. However, on May 27th we began work on our latest masterpiece. Washington Valley Late Harvest Riesling...30 bottles of it! We invested in the correct equipment and quality wine grape juice and additives...Next week we'll be bottling and it'll be ready about 1-2 months after that. Woo Hoo! I'll let you know how that turns out...and if you live close enough for a visit, you might just get to try some. :)

Busy, busy, busy...

Sorry it's been a while, but since I'm updating from work on my lunch I think the title says it all. Between school, work, Farm Town (if you have FB, you may also be an addict) and having some fun, I haven't taken the time to update. All is well...tonight after work we're heading down to Oneonta because my lil' step-sis, Mary Beth, is getting married. Her shower is tomorrow. So since I couldn't make it down for Father's Day, I'll get a two-for-one visit! Our wine should be ready for bottling the middle of next week (super cool!) Just 6 more weeks of class, then I start Nursing courses on Aug 31. Can't believe the summer is 1/2 over already! That's it for now...gotta eat and get back to it. Happy Saturday!

Fantastic Concert!!!

Three Dog Night kicked some major butt last night! The CSO wasn't half bad, either. We had a great time...sorry, Willie. Yours was one of the butts they kicked. Willie was good, too...just very mellow (like his music). Last night made you want to get up and dance. And had we not been sitting on a hill, I just might have. Didn't feel like falling. Tonight is the Bessie Smith Strut...BBQ and Blues all free and open to the public down MLK Ave. Well, the BBQ isn't free, but you don't have to have a ticket or pin to enjoy it all. There I'll definitely have the opportunity to shake my money maker. Woo Hoo! I guess tomorrow before class I'll have some time to relax. I have another 3 day set of 12's coming up this weekend too...whew...I'm already worn out! Here's to a Happy Monday!

Jeremiah...he's my friend (and a bullfrog)

Tonight's Riverbend headliner is Three Dog Night with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra. My #1, All-Time, Favorite movie is The Big Chill, so I am very much looking forward to tonight. Before they come on The Wailers (from Bob Marley fame) will be performing. Good night to go! My only day off this week too!!! Just worked 3 12's and I'm beat. Yesterday was crazy, but very interesting...I was verbally assaulted by a patient (along with everyone else), met a Saddam survivor and I was even attacked by an IV pole! Nothing broken, just bruised. :) Never know what the day is going to bring...I'll be watching out for those IV poles in the future, though.

On the road again...

No, not me...we're going to see Willie Nelson at Riverbend tonight! It'll be a busy few days (work, music, school), but I'll make it somehow. :)
Happy Friday!

Been a busy few weeks

Sorry it's been a while...been a little busy. Started work as a Patient Care Tech at a local hospital. Still in orientation/training, but I'm on the floor now. Also, school just started last week. So between two night classes and 2-3 7a-7p shifts a week, I haven't really been thinking about updating. The header pic is real...one I took when Lon and I visited Arrington Vineyards a few weeks ago. That lunch was delicious! Gorgeous setting and they have live music every weekend in the summer. We left before that started (had been planning to check out the National Cornbread Festival, but traffic was a bitch...ended up at the winery instead!) since we'd already been there for some time. We've already made plans to go back with a picnic lunch, chairs and a sheet to spend a leisurely afternoon. It's just south of Nashville in Arrington, TN if you get the chance to stop by. And they have 'real' wine, not the fruit or muscadine stuff. Those are very popular around here since traditional wine grapes don't like our weather/soil. And there are plenty of people who love those wines...just not us. However, we currently have some homemade wine fermenting and will let you know how it turns out. Gotta find a hobby, right?

Always exploring...

Found a new beautiful place right here in our own backyard...the Chattanooga Nature Center. This was an old farm that has been rejuvenated into a park, community garden, rescue center for wild animals and teaching facility. It is bordered on three sides by the National Park Service (and Lookout Mtn) and on the fourth side by Lookout Creek. Here are just a few of the pics we took...and I'm sure they won't do the place justice.

There are miles of walking trails surrounding and winding through the 300+ acres. They have made it into a botanical garden and historical site. Plus, since we went on a Thursday we practically had the place to ourselves. They are currently working on a new canoe dock where you can rent/borrow their canoes and travel along Lookout Creek at your leisure. Looking forward to trying that out! Yesterday was a balmy 73 degrees and we took advantage by enjoying our most favorite part of the city...downtown. Today is another beauty, but we're still trying to figure out how best to enjoy it. Downtown there is the 4 Bridges Art Festival, 420 Fest at Miller Plaza, Dragon Boat races at the Chickamauga Dam, a plant sale at local CSA Crabtree Farms, live music at Arrington Winery (in Murfreesboro...about a 2 hour drive)...any suggestions???
Hope you're having a great weekend of your own!

It's official....

...I've been accepted to the Fall 2009 nursing class! Woo Hoo!!! There's one worry off my plate. Whew...
Guess that's it for today. We went out for an unsuccessful morel (mushroom) hunting/hiking trip, stopped by a winery on the way home and I got the letter when we checked the mail today. Good day...wish we had found some morels, but maybe next time. Or maybe we'll just buy them off of eBay. Gorgeous day...hope you were able to get out and enjoy it, too!!!

Now, that's the life for me!

Sid the Science Kid...have you heard of him? If you have a small child, you may have. If you love PBS (especially in the mornings), you probably have. Sid wants to know everything about everything and he LOVES science! His family and friends sing and dance all the time. And he has the coolest (Kindergarten?) teacher, Teacher Susie. She sings, dances and teaches very cool stuff. There are only four kids in his class and they have an awesome classroom and playground all to themselves. Ahhh...that would have rocked! Not that I didn't enjoy the school, friends and teachers I had during grade school. They were pretty cool, too. But I definitely don't remember all the singing and dancing. Very fun! Here's to finding the simple pleasures in life...don't forget to live, love, laugh...three of my favorite things.
Happy Monday!

Life is meant to be lived

Wow...what an absolutely gorgeous spring day! Ever since we moved to one of the most beautiful cities I've ever lived in (and I've lived in quite a few!), I have developed a new appreciation of nature and all the beauty she has to offer. Today was a perfect spring day...high of 71, low of 43. Not too hot to make you sweat, but not cool enough for a sweater. Lon and I had a yummy breakfast of homemade bran pancakes with fresh strawberries. We took a few hours (windows and doors open, of course) to hone some critical skills. He practiced (played) Texas Hold 'Em on the internet and I made a few pieces of hemp jewelry (which I promptly put on). Then it was time to head out and soak up this glorious Sunday. We headed close to downtown, parked, and walked about 2.5 miles into downtown via the Riverwalk (one of my favorite-ist parts of Chatt!). We passed a group of kids (age 6-17) playing amazing music (sounded very Irish when we passed by) under one of the TN Aquarium bridges. They were Bow-Dacious, a string band from IL...very talented kids! They had a good crowd gathered, complete with parents/kids dancing all over the place. Always seems to be something going on around town (which makes us wish even more that we lived in the heart of it). Then it was on to the 'Deal of the Day.' Almost every bar/restaurant in town seems to have some sort of deal on Bloody Marys and Mimosas on Sunday (Brunch rocks!) So we popped into Mellow Mushroom to have one of the best Bloodys in town. Nice and spicy...and apparently enhanced with a splash of Guinness. Yummy! There we split a small Kosmic Karma pizza for lunch. Delish...what's that? You don't know Mellow Mushroom? I truly feel bad for you...it is a very tasty, very laid back, very cool little pizza place with some of the best microbrews available. Besides, who could turn down pizza from a mushroom dude named Mel? What's Kosmic Karma, you ask? Only one of the most flavorful little pizzas you could put in your mouth, that's what! Picture it...freshly tossed spring water dough (nice and chewy), spinach, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, mozzerella and pesto...all with a nice sprinkling of parmesean on top. Goes perfectly with a spicy Bloody (and water, too!). Afterwards we headed down to the river, took a new path, saw some beautiful forsythia, cherry trees and Bradford pears...everything is trying to bloom! Headed back to the Jeep for a nice round trip jaunt of a mere 5.8 miles. We earned our Bloody Marys today and we enjoyed every drop! :)
Now, I'm just working on some study questions on the respiratory and digestive systems and Lon went to a local R/C track to watch some races. It's going on 7 pm and the sun is still high in the sky...I LOVE SPRING!
Ahhhhh....been a while since I really posted....feels good. I hope the weather is gorgeous wherever you are. Get out and enjoy it!

(Side note...if you are being picky, that pic IS from downtown Chatt, but was taken last fall...we didn't take the camera walking with us today. However, it is very similar. There were no clouds today, the sky was bright blue and the trees are green. Just trying to keep it real!)

Great Chattanooga Locations

Last week Lon and I went for a little nature walk...UP A FRIGGIN' MOUNTAIN! We were trying to find new areas we had not yet visited and found one with a great name. Pot Point! What could that be??? Especially since it was down SUCK CREEK ROAD. I love the names of places in the South...you tend to wonder, 'So, what were

they thinking?' So we head out with backpack in tow (packed with apples, PB & Banana sandwiches, bottles of water and some gingersnaps.) Sounds like the perfect hiking picnic, right? We follow the directions and turn off a paved road onto a dirt road and take that for 4 miles (good thing we're in the Jeep). Now this isn't just any dirt road, we're are sandwiched between the TN River and Suck Creek Mountain. So we have cute river homes, mobile homes with mini car lots out front, RV's on empty plots with BBQ's and picnic tables, and miscellaneous rubble (i.e. previous houses). The road goes up, down, to the left and right, barely allows for two vehicles, is rough, a little scary, a little quaint. Finally we arrive at Pot Point House, a very cute two-story house available for rentals and weddings. We park across the street at the appointed 'parking lot' (gravel area), getting barked at by the multiple hound dogs living at the adjoining trailer (up on the hill). They are standing tall on the upside down boat 'parked' in the yard. Yes, we are in the high fashion district now! The nature trail/hike UP THE FRIGGIN' MOUNTAIN started off nice and easy, but got nasty and straight up real quick. The 3.5 mile hike turned into 3 hours of intense hiking up a 1,000 ft altitude mountain and back down along the river. It was more than we bargained for, but great exercise and a new adventure. The area along the river had apparently had recent rain and was VERY muddy and squishy in spots...my shoes/socks have the stains to prove it. Overall, it was a fun excursion and we had a great time. There is nothing quite like a PB&B sandwich on a hike...makes it that much better. The temp was in the mid-60's and it was sunny. Great day for a hike.

So Versatile...

Ode to Bamboo

Quoted from A Yankee on the Yangtze by William Edgar Geil, 1904.

A man can sit in a bamboo house under a bamboo roof, on a bamboo chair at a bamboo table, with a bamboo hat on his head and bamboo sandals on his feet. He can at the same time hold in one hand a bamboo bowl, in the other hand bamboo chopsticks and eat bamboo sprouts. When through with his meal, which has been cooked over a bamboo fire, the table may be washed with a bamboo cloth, and he can fan himself with a bamboo fan, take a siesta on a bamboo bed, lying on a bamboo mat with his head resting on a bamboo pillow. His child might be lying in a bamboo cradle, playing with a bamboo toy. On rising he would smoke a bamboo pipe and taking a bamboo pen, write on bamboo paper, or carry his articles in bamboo baskets suspended from a bamboo pole, with a bamboo umbrella over his head. He might then take a walk over a bamboo suspension bridge, drink water from a bamboo ladle, and scrape himself with a bamboo scraper (handkerchief).

We received a set of bamboo sheets for Christmas and I can't even begin to tell you how much they ROCK! All of that same stuff you can do with hemp...wow. Check out these very informative links on bamboo and hemp to see just how earth-friendly, sustainable, and versatile these overlooked plants really are.
Bamboo
Hemp

Dreading the update...

For obvious reasons, I have been procrastinating updating the blog. Not a lot of good stuff to report. We did have a great time seeing Lon's parents, family and friends in MI and we got to see LOTS of snow! That and not having to go back to work have been highlights. Not getting a paycheck, having to file unemployment and having my GI Bill temporarily screwed up (NOT my fault) have been the crappy parts. But as Lon and I always seem to be saying (and it usually ends up very true) everything happens for a reason.
Today is particularly gray & rainy and it's going to get cold enough tonight to have a chance of snow tomorrow. That may be partly to blame for the 'pouty' blog. We did watch a really good movie last night, though...very uplifting and fun. Kung Fu Panda kicked butt! Definitely recommend it, especially if you need a good laugh and a little 'feel good.'
I have my midterm and second exam next week, but I don't feel much like studying. Again...gray, yucky day may be partly to blame. Looks like a good day for a nap, a fire and a bowl of hot soup. Of course, I wouldn't start a fire until I was up from the nap! It's not near cold enough for a fire yet...still in the 40's. Maybe I should run out, grab some hot & sour soup and a firelog (for the morning)....not a bad idea.
I don't mean to sound all gloomy. Lon and I are fine. I'm really enjoying school and have a 101 average right now in A&P II! Woo Hoo! And I'll find out before April about the fall Nursing class. And he's really enjoying finally having a whole weekend off at home! He hasn't had one of those since early last May!
I promise...my next posting will be much more upbeat and happy! Hopefully the sun will be back out, too!!!

When it rains, it pours...

Well...we didn't exactly have the textbook romantic Valentine's weekend. Lon and I both worked Saturday night (yuck...it was super busy!), but we did get to hang out after with birthday boy, Josh and some of his friends (yeah!). Meanwhile, my mom was at a TN hospital visiting her dad as he was dying. My grandfather (Daddy Jr.) passed away Sunday morning. :( To help cheer me up, Lon took me on a Chattanooga road trip looking at houses. And we actually found one we were interested in and might be able to afford (even on our current income!)...but Monday morning we were let go from our crappy jobs that we were looking to leave anyway...unfortunately it wasn't on our terms though. SOOOO....we spent yesterday drowning our sorrows, bitching about the &%$! that dissolved our jobs, and drunk dialing people...sorry if you got one of those calls! We did decide two good things to do in the midst of all the crap. #1...we're going to Gallatin, TN tomorrow after I get out of class to be with my mom and her family at the memorial service for Daddy Jr. #2...after spending Wed night in Gallatin, we're heading north to MI to see Lon's parents for a long weekend...we haven't seen them in 3 YEARS! We'll get to say good-bye to Daddy Jr and hello to the Jordans. Just have to remember there is ALWAYS a silver lining to every dark cloud (you just have to look for it and recognize it for what it is).
That being said, we're making the best of it. Yes, we are now among the growing unemployed population, but it gives us a push to find something different and better to do. Something we were half-ass working on will now be our FULL time job! :) We're going to visit family and enjoy all the things we still have to be grateful for. Plus, what a good incentive to get in great shape! No insurance...better not get sick...and being healthy keeps you from needing medical intervention, right?
I am still amazed at the goings on of this past weekend, but am confident that Lon and I will pull ourselves up by our bootstraps (like we normally do) and make it work out for the best.

Daddy Jr, I really wish you could have met Lon. You two would have gotten along famously. I'll miss you very much. I love you.

Welcome Greyson!

Congratulations to Christine and Tony Cardenas on the birth of their son, Greyson Kekoa! He arrived yesterday morning, February 4th. She's been blogging about her pregnancy and it's been a long, hard road...but you made it to the finish line, Chica!!! Can't wait to see pics...Much love!

Brrr...feels like Winter!

Woke up to 17 degrees this morning...our high will be 28. Fortunately it's dry so no ice on the windows this morning when I left for school. I haven't been updating lately since I've been more interested in the status of Christine's pregnancy...poor thing. She's been in labor since early Monday morning...first baby...taking his sweet time! I'm thinking about you, Chica! Hang in there...

Not too much to report here. Still loving school...dissected sheep hearts today. The blood, heart & cardiovascular system are amazing! I've been 'teaching' Lon all about it. When you get down to the molecular level, the body is by far the most fantastic machine ever built! Too bad more people don't really know what all it does. We should follow its lead and do the same for the planet. It cleans up junk, reduces, reuses and recycles. It's very efficient...I promise I won't get all 'science-y,' but it is really cool!

Been painting more too...did some gifts so I have to wait until they've been 'given' before I can post online. Guess that's all for now...time for lunch!

It's my year!

The Year of the Ox...born in 1973, that is my year...Today is Chinese New Year and this is the Year of the Ox. Check here to see what 'animal' you are and what your Chinese Horoscope has to say: http://shine.yahoo.com/page/2009-chinese-horoscope. Mine seems to indicate I might have a pretty darn good year!

A New Chapter

So proud and so excited to be a part of a maturing nation that can set aside unfounded prejudices and elect to change for the better. America truly is beautiful and am I proud beyond words to be one of her daughters.

So over Facebook

It was cool in the beginning...catching up with people you hadn't seen or spoken to in years (decades!), seeing how different they look, what they enjoy, if they have families...I'm over that now. I don't care to be notified when someone is getting ready for work, is tired from chasing kids around all day, is glad it's Friday, or is headed out for bowling. Who cares? It's just another voyeuristic vehicle...like reality TV (which I can't stand anyway). So I started deleting people...those people I haven't seen since 6th grade (or 12th grade) and certainly don't have anything in common with now (man, I went to school with a TON of conservatives!). Never did get interested in MySpace, but now that I'm in FB I've decided to scale it down to people I actually want to keep in contact with. I didn't go to my 10 year reunion...why should I think I might go to my 20th? I wasn't a cheerleader, involved in choir, or into my student government. I had some friends, went to class and that was high school. Big whoop. I have much closer friends via the US Navy and various places I've lived/worked. And only a few of them have decided to give FB a chance.
Okay, that's enough about that. Gotta go get ready to build rockets with about 15 10-year old boys at work. Oh...I and built my first rocket ever yesterday. Should be a blast! (get it?) ha, ha, ha!

Oh, oh, oh it's Magic...you know....

My latest painting...and one of the most fun. Magic Mushrooms is unveiled. :) I am having more and more fun doing these! I love the swirlies...One of my biggest fans has already commissioned me to do a painting for her birthday...hope you like it, Mom! Not much else to report. Still looking for other employment, but grateful that I have a job in this economy. School starts back on Thursday...oh, and I get to do a birthday party for 15-20 kids on Saturday. Woo hoo....not. 5-7 kids is one thing, but 20? Are you kidding me? Inside a store on a Saturday afternoon...I certainly can't say my life is boring.

As good as it gets...

Just finished watching that movie, again...and it made me realize how good I've got it. I may not have the ideal job or home right now, but I certainly have the most amazing man in my life...and he is a better husband and friend than I ever could have asked for...and that is way more than I ever could have expected. To be married to your best friend...how many people would give their right (or left) arm for that? And I have it. I am so lucky and I know it! Bad days at work make you realize what's important, especially in this economy (thanks, George W!)...I have an amazing marriage to a wonderful man and I would not give that up for anything. I can only hope that my friends and family know what that feels like. Oh...and here's my latest painting...I'm loving that as well! Life is way too short to take your blessings for granted. I am blessed with Lon, my family and my amazing friends. I only wish happiness, health and success for all of you.

Crazy Blogger...

Sorry about the crazy spacing and pics...Still trying to figure this blogger thing out. At least it's all posted now! Happy New Year!

T25DOC...Complete!

Here are the pics from 10th to the 25th...I know I'm back tracking a bit, but you're getting pics from my book and summaries this time...I'm glad I did it, but it's definitely a responsibility trying to journal every single day! Lon loves it! I think I'll try this again for our next road trip or significant outing...
12/10, Wed: A&P final, finished Christmas cards, worked on model roller coaster

12/11, Thurs: Rainy, worked on T25DOC, put up Christmas decs at work

12/12, Fri: Worked...watched City of Angels, cried like a baby...again!

12/13, Sat: Bad day at work...already blogged about that. Loved Prince Caspian (Chron. of Narnia)

12/14, Sun: BWW after work with friends

12/15, Mon: Got up, worked..yadda, yadda, yadda

12/16, Tues: Off all day, got lots done, errands/chores/groceries, watched Bed of Roses (great chick flick)

12/17, Wed: Love Ellen...always makes me laugh, got funky bindis to celebrate holidays

12/18, Thurs: Nothing exciting going on...

12/19, Fri: Lon & I both off by 3, went to Rio Picante for drinks, won NFL tickets for Sunday (Titans v. Steelers)

12/20, Sat: Worked all day, people in surprisingly good moods, trying to decide whether or not to go to Nashville tomorrow

12/21, Sun: Road Trip! Went to game, checked out Broadway (downtown Nashville), quick trip, but fun

12/22, Mon: Crazy run on old merchandise...last minute shoppers love discounts!

12/23, Tues: Another good day at work, crazy traffic, Christmas Bonus!

12/24, Wed: Christmas Eve, worked until 4:30, out for Mexican, home to open Christmas Eve prizes...


12/25, Thurs: Christmas Day! Great food, company and prizes...quiet day at home watching movies and hanging out with my best bud and hubby, Lon! Love you Baby...
That's it...all done. :)